PEKLE — The Dark Side of Baltic Folklore

The underworld can pull one in. What began as a trivial curiosity about Latvian folklore and mythology has grown into serious work and full-time study.

PEKLE is the name of the underworld in Latvian mythology. It is neither good nor evil – it is alive, fertile, and ever in motion. From the underground sprout the seeds that reach toward the sun, and when the plant withers, it returns once more to the dark earth. In my illustrations, darkness coexists with light because one cannot exist without the other. To me, darkness does not symbolize evil, but rather the unknown, which I gradually illuminate through my visual stories.

Every object has its own story – briefly explained in the booklet included with each package.